


The Governess and the Liesmith

by freudensteins_monster



Category: Norse Religion & Lore, Thor (Movies), Thor - All Media Types
Genre: Absent Parents, Alternate Universe, Awesome Frigga, Babysitting, Children, Class Differences, Cute Kids, Developing Relationship, Dysfunctional Family, F/M, Family Fluff, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Inspired by..., Loki Feels, Loki Has Issues, Loki's Kids, Magic, Mary Poppins - Freeform, Meddling Kids, Parent-Child Relationship, Shapeshifting, Sound of Music except that the children are wild and Sigyn is stern, Susan Sto Helit - Freeform, The Parent Trap - Freeform, The Sound of Music - Freeform, governess
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-04
Updated: 2016-01-08
Packaged: 2018-05-11 15:06:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5631025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/freudensteins_monster/pseuds/freudensteins_monster
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sigyn finds herself accepting the position of governess to Prince Loki's children: a stallion with eight legs, two fiery little girls, two shapeshifting boys, and a scarred little girl who's magical talent has yet to be discovered. She quickly endears herself to them, despite her firm hand, but the closeness and trust she worked so hard for is threatened by the return of the children's notoriously absent father.</p><p>Queen Frigga had warned her it would be an interesting job.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A friend requested a fic wherein Sigyn babysits Loki's children, or something along those lines. What my brain concocted was something that has a lot of elements of The Sound of Music (but the kids are wild and Sigyn is stern), and a dozen other things featuring nannies or babysitters.
> 
> Still a work in progress at the the time of posting, but I've got most of it plotted out, so hopefully it all comes together. Let me know what you think. xoxox

“Sigyn! Hurry up, you’re going to be late!”

Sigyn sighed. She had been awake and dressed for hours, but she couldn’t bring herself leave.

“Sigyn!”

“Yes, alright!” she cried, lifting herself off the bed, a hand instinctively reaching up to touch the roof beam lest she smack her head on it. Living in the small attic might not have been ideal, but it was her own space, space she didn’t have to share with her numerous siblings – a reward for being the eldest by a few decades. She would be sad to say goodbye to it, should she manage to get a job in the city (her mother’s cousin had heard of a position opening up at the palace stables) but if she was to have any chance of getting it she needed to apply for it, which meant leaving the house.

She sighed again and slung a small bag over her shoulder and tugged nervously at her clothes. They were a mixture of hand-me-downs from various relatives and barely matched, but they were practical and comfortable, and that’s all that mattered, Sigyn assured herself. She double-checked that her hair was securely pinned back before sliding down the ladder and following the noise to the heart of the house. Around the small dining table her youngest siblings sat, squabbling over their breakfasts - who got the biggest share, who drank juice that wasn’t theirs, and who got left with the burnt toast - whilst her sister, Syn, the eldest after her, tried to get them to behave.

“Having trouble, sister dear?” Sigyn smirked, picking up a couple of apples and throwing them into her bag before stealing a buttered piece of toast off the table for her breakfast.

“How do you do it?” Syn groaned.

“Everyone SIT DOWN and finish your breakfast.” Sigyn’s order was met with a fluster of shuffling and then exquisite silence. “Like that,” Sigyn smirked.

“Do you really have to go?” Syn whined.

“You’ll be fine,” Sigyn assured her as her eyes wandered over several cheeky smirks. “Probably.”

“Stop fretting, Syn, and leave Sigyn be,” their mother grumbled, ushering Sigyn towards the door. “You’re going to miss the ferry if you don’t hurry along,” she added as she tried to simultaneously hug her eldest daughter and shove her out the door.

“Yes, mother,” Sigyn giggled, waving to her siblings before jogging down the well-worn path to the edge of her family’s farm.

She was halfway down the road when the sound of a horse’s hooves caught her attention.

“You’re going to be late,” a gruff voice warned her.

“So I’ve been told,” Sigyn laughed, giving her father her best smile as she patted the neck of her father’s favoured mare, Léttfeti.

“Come on, girl,” he said, holding out his arm to Sigyn. “I’ll get you there.”

Sigyn swung up behind her father and held on tight as Léttfeti raced towards the village square. They made excellent time. The ferry had yet to arrive, which left Sigyn and her father observing an awkward silence.

“I am sorry about this, all of this, Sigyn,” he father muttered, unable to meet her eyes.

“It’s not as though you’re kicking me out into the streets without a penny to my name, father,” she scolded playfully.

“Still… You know I would keep you on if I could.”

“I know,” Sigyn smiled kindly. “But you have enough mouths to feed without worrying about the old maid in the attic.”

“You’re hardly old, Sigyn. I still get requests for your hand - one a month, if not more.”

“I know,” Sigyn murmured, absently patting Léttfeti’s nose. “What does it say about me that I would rather muck out stables for the rest of my life than marry one of your friends sons?”

“That you are your mother’s daughter,” he laughed. “She took some convincing, that’s for sure.”

Their laughter was drowned out by the sound of the ferry approaching, alighting in the village square in a cloud of dust.

“You’ll be right getting home, love?”

“Of course, father. I don’t imagine I’ll be getting back too late.”

“Off you go then, Sigyn my girl. Best of luck.”

“Thank you, father. Goodbye!” she called as she took a seat on the ferry, gripping the edge with both hands as it lifted into the sky with a sudden lurch. She kept waving until her father was out of sight and only then did she allow herself a moment to be nervous, watching as the world sped past beneath her as the ferry sped across the valley towards the golden city.

** *** **

The laughter from the stables seemed to follow Sigyn as she stomped along hedge trimmed pathways trying to find somewhere private to fume. Sigyn eventually found herself in a secluded section of the Royal Gardens and let go of the breath she had been holding, frustrated tears clouding her vision. She tugged at her simple jerkin and tunic, growling as she remembered eyes roaming over them disdainfully. She clenched her fists, feeling her anger course through her veins, and screamed.

“Oh my... Whatever is the matter, my dear?”

An embarrassed glare became a look of sheer terror as Sigyn fell to her knees before Frigga, Queen of Asgard.

“Please forgive me, your majesty. I didn’t mean to… I’m so sorry…” the girl stammered, her thoughts consumed with keeping her head.

“It’s alright, my dear,” Queen Frigga replied soothingly, moving to the girl’s side, taking her by the arm and helping her to her feet. “Why don’t you take a seat by me and tell me what’s troubling you.”

The girl practically fell onto the nearby stone bench, completely stunned by the idea that the Allmother would want to know of her troubles. The queen sensed her hesitation and smiled kindly.

“What is your name, dear?”

“Sigyn Siggarðrsdóttir, your majesty.”

“And what has brought you to my gardens this day?” Queen Frigga asked.

“Your gardens? I didn’t mean to… I…” Sigyn stopped, scolded herself, took a deep breath and answered the queen properly. “Your majesty, I was applying for a job at the royal stables as I had heard they were looking for a groom, but the men there took one look at me and laughed, dismissing me solely because of my gender,” Sigyn replied, gritting her teeth by the end of the sentence.

“I can see how that would be quite frustrating,” the queen replied kindly.

“They wouldn’t even let me tell them of my skills and experience. It is short-sighted on their part.”

“Very good. Not doubting yourself in the face of such a rejection,” Queen Frigga clarified. “It speaks highly of your character.”

Sigyn blushed.

“Would you tell me of your work history? I should like to hear more about you, and perhaps I could help you in finding a more suitable position.”

“Thank you, your majesty. But I wouldn’t want to impose, nor would I feel confident in any employment knowing a word from you had secured my future.”

“Nonsense. A word from me might open a few doors, but your future would be secured on your own merits, of that I have no doubt.”

Sigyn smiled at her beautiful queen and told her about her work history, of how she had helped her parent’s run their farm for as long as she could remember. She had helped tend to the animals, and had a soft spot for the four horses her father kept. Two of them were huge draft horses that pulled ploughs through the paddocks, and the other two were leaner, faster, and Sigyn had been riding them since she was old enough to pull herself up onto a saddle.

Frigga smiled as she watched Sigyn’s frustrations fade away as she reminisced about her home life.

“And what of children?” she asked hopefully.

“Children?”

“Do you have any experience looking after children?”

“I am the oldest of seven children, your majesty. I’m a few decades older than them, so I was always required to look after them whenever my mother was busy, which was always,” she smiled.

“And what of magic?”

Sigyn crinkled her brow at the strange line of questioning but didn’t dare question her queen.

“My maternal grandmother was Vanir, so I have a natural aptitude for it, mainly concerned with counteracting the abilities of others it seems, but I have never been properly taught. And I, myself, have only ever really sought to learn enough to stop it from getting out of control.” Sigyn smirked and pointed to the rose bush opposite them. “As a child an outburst of anger such as my earlier tantrum would have set that bush on fire.”

“Well, I’m glad you can control it now; that rose bush is one of my favourites.” Frigga smiled, regarding the young woman beside her curiously. A perfect candidate just waiting for her in her own gardens; The Norns did work in mysterious ways, did they not? “Sigyn, my dear, I have a position that I believe you would be well suited for, a very _interesting_ job I must admit. Would you like to hear of it?”

“Yes, of course, your majesty.”

“My son, Prince Loki, has had, let us say, an adventurous youth, which has left him with six children and no mother to raise them.”

Sigyn’s breath caught in her throat. “You wish me to look after the prince’s children?”

“Well, yes. I do think you are more than qualified.”

“But the _prince’s children_ ,” Sigyn repeated, floundering. “Your majesty, I’m just a farm girl with no status or proper education.”

“A farm girl with a love of horses and children alike, and a ‘natural aptitude’ for seiðr. All requirements of the woman I would entrust my grandchildren’s care to.”

“Your majesty…” Sigyn stammered, running out of reasons to deny the queen’s request. She considered the offer seriously for a moment, running through the thousand concerns she had and voiced the most pressing one. “Your majesty, I mean no offence, but I’m not sure that I could look after them the way I looked after my siblings, without fear of being reprimanded for my lack of deference; I would treat the prince’s children as children, not royalty. I would never strike a child, but I will discipline them as I see fit, and I need to feel confident in doing so without being undermined or punished for my actions.”

“And here I thought you to be kindly,” the queen teased.

“I am kind, your majesty. And downright jovial should the need arise, but I won’t tolerate misbehaviour or rudeness. I have never have, and I will not change that because my charges are royalty.”

“Very well,” the queen nodded after a moment’s contemplation. “As long as you do not harm them, and are not cruel to them, I shall not interfere. Do you have any further questions of me before you start?”

“Start?”

“Yes, I would require you to start today, if possible. Their last governess quit over breakfast, I’m afraid. I have one of my handmaidens watching them for the moment, but that is only a temporary arrangement.”

“I am not prepared to start today, your majesty. I would have to return home to get my things…”

“I can have a messenger travel to your parent’s farm and collect your things.”

“That is not my only concern, your majesty” Sigyn confessed.

“Ah, of course. I’m sorry, Sigyn, you wish to say a proper goodbye to your family.”

“Yes, your majesty. My departure this morning was somewhat rushed and I had not expected to be away more than half the day.”

“Well, I do really require someone to start today. Perhaps you could write them a note for my messenger to deliver to explain your absence, and once you are settled in the role we can arrange for you to have a day off to visit them.”

“Your majesty… As I mentioned before, I’m afraid I have had very little formal education. It would take a great while for me to write a letter home,” Sigyn advised, averting her gaze.

“That is unfortunate, but does not change my decision. The children’s education, both formal and magical, are presided over by the best tutors in the realm, so that is not something you need worry about. Perhaps we should retire to my sitting room? You can dictate your letter to me, and we could finalise the details of your employment.”

“Yes, thank you, your majesty,” Sigyn said hesitantly, slowly accepting that, yes, this was really happening.

“We should also discuss the subject of payment,” the queen said, taking Sigyn’s arm and leading her out of the gardens. “I think five gold pieces a day would be a good starting point.”

Sigyn almost fell over her own feet. _Five gold pieces?_ Sigyn hadn’t even been expecting to be paid five gold pieces a week as a groom.

“That’s… That’s very generous, your majesty.”

“Nonsense,” she replied. “I regret that caring for my grandchildren is no easy task. For me they are always on their best behaviour, but much to my disappointment they have managed to scare away every governess they have ever had; the last governess barely lasted the week. And she came so highly recommended,” Queen Frigga sighed. “So, knowing what you know now, I think five gold pieces is appropriate, but should you reach the end of the month and decide to stay on we can discuss a pay rise.”

Sigyn managed to muffle an excited shriek but her eyes, blown wide in disbelief, gave her away.

“But enough of that,” the queen smiled, patting Sigyn’s arm. “I think I’d best tell you of your new charges. I assume you have at least heard rumours of my son’s eldest child, the steed Sleipnir?” she asked, watching Sigyn carefully for any signs of revulsion or judgment.

“Yes, your majesty. But only rumours.” Rumours, snide remarks, and vulgar insinuations, which Sigyn wouldn’t dare repeat to her queen.

“True, his conception was a strange thing, a misstep on my son’s part early on in his shapeshifting studies, but Sleipnir is truly a sight to behold. They say he is the fastest steed in all the realms,” Queen Frigga added proudly.

“The fastest in all the realms?” Sigyn repeated excitedly, earning a brilliant smile from the queen.

_Yes, this girl will do wonderfully._


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sigyn meets her charges.

An hour later Sigyn found herself was wandering down a corridor of the royal wing of the palace, her letter of employment held tightly in one hand. She paused when she came to a row of doors, the queen’s directions escaping her momentarily. She was about to ask one of the guards, stationed every ten metres or so, for assistance when the sound of absolute chaos caught her attention. Sigyn reached the nursery door, pushed it open, and was almost felled by the shrill squealing of five small children.

To Sigyn’s left, standing in the doorway of a decimated bedroom, was a flustered maid, who turned to the newcomer with pleading eyes. Sigyn held up her letter of employment and before the words “I’m the new governess” were out of her mouth the maid had fled, slamming the door behind her.

Sigyn took the maids place in the doorway and resisted the urge to follow the maid straight back out. There was a large snake with green and grey scales hanging from the posts of one of the beds, a small darkhaired girl using his belly as a swing. A large wolf cub and a girl with red hair were playing tug of war with a pillow, not their first victim if the amount of feathers littered about was anything to go by. And in the back corner was another girl, almost identical to the first, who was jumping on a bed catching feathers in her hands and setting them on fire with magic.

Sigyn sighed as she took her place in the eye of the storm, surveying the destruction. The queen _had_ warned her it would be a very interesting job.

The sound of fabric ripping was followed by half a pillow sailing through the air towards Sigyn. She deflected it with a wave of her hand; a magical reflex she had developed after years of feeding her infant siblings. Sigyn took a deep breath, planted her feet, put her fingers in the corners of her mouth, and let rip with an ear-splitting whistle that silenced the room.

“Everyone line up! Now!” she shouted, pointing in front of her. “Oldest to youngest, let’s go!”

A stunned silence gave way to panic, the children surprising Sigyn with how quickly they followed her instructions.

“My name is Sigyn, and I will be your new governess. Please introduce yourselves,” she requested, pointing to the first child in the line-up.

Einmyria was first, an inch taller, and a year older, than her sister, Eisa. The pair had copper hair, warm brown eyes, and ruddy, freckled cheeks. Even without seeing the Prince with her own eyes, Sigyn was quite certain the girls took after their mother, a giantess from Muspelheim.

“Look what I can do!” the younger sister chirped cheerfully, jumping towards Sigyn shouting “Boo!” as her face transformed into living fire. Sigyn shrieked and leapt back, batting her almost-singed eyebrows as the children laughed at her expense. She recovered quickly, cursing herself for being caught off guard so soon into her new job, giving the children her best stern expression.

“Quiet!” she shouted, waiting for them to settle before leaning down to speak to Eisa quietly but firmly. “Pyromancy can be very dangerous and should not be practised indoors – and never at a person, little one.”

“It was only a trick,” she pouted, shifting behind her sister to hide from Sigyn’s severe gaze.

“A trick that could have hurt me. What would you have done if I had been badly burnt?”

“Sorry,” she mumbled into her sister’s shoulder.

“I accept your apology,” Sigyn offered the girl a small smile before moving down the line. The next three children were the offspring of the giantess, Angrboða. Sigyn eyed the two boys curiously and politely requested they return to their Aesir forms. The serpent shifted into a young boy with reptilian green eyes and slicked back green hair – his father’s son, Sigyn had no doubt.

“I’m Jörmungandr, miss,” he said, hissing his S’s slightly.

“Nice to meet you, Jörmungandr. And you?” she asked his brother, a grubby little boy with a thick mane of dark brown hair and reddish-brown eyes.

“Fenrir, miss.”

“Well met, Fenrir.”

“And what’s your name, little one?” Sigyn asked the youngest, who turned away, pulling her dark hair across her face to cover an array of scars.

“Her name’s Hela, miss,” Jörmungandr advised, watching his new governess warily. “She doesn’t like talking to people she doesn’t know.”

Sigyn knelt down beside the girl and brushed her hair behind her ear, keeping her expression kindly as the child glanced back at her with one green eye and one cloudy, sightless eye.

“It’s very nice to meet you, Hela,” she smiled, waiting until the girl acknowledged her with a small smile of her own before standing back up.

“Are you a lady, miss?” Eisa asked.

“I have no title, I’m just Sigyn.”

“No, that’s not what I meant,” Eisa whined.

“Why are you wearing trousers?” a little voice piped up. Five sets of eyes glanced at Hela, hiding behind Fenrir as she grabbed his hand. “Ladies don’t wear trousers.”

“Ah, yes,” Sigyn mused, glancing down at her work clothes. Hardly the garments of a governess to princes and princesses, but the queen had promised that she would have some appropriate garments delivered to her room by the time her own would arrive from home – not that there were many dresses in her wardrobe anyway. “I apologise for my appearance. I was expecting to find work in the stables not the nursery, I must admit. And I have always found that dresses get in the way when mucking out stables.”

“Do girls not have to wear dresses?” Einmyria asked curiously, as the three girls glanced down at their tired day dresses.

“I think princesses are expected to wear fine dresses in public, but, if you like, I shall speak to your grandmother about the possibility of having some trousers made for you to run around in.”

“You know our grandmother?” Fenrir asked excitedly. Despite his Aesir form Sigyn almost expected to see him wagging his tail.

“I have just come from her chambers. She hired me to look after you. And she said she would join us for luncheon, but…” Sigyn sighed, glancing around the bedroom-slash-playroom. “Your chambers are hardly fit for visitors, are they?”

“Best get cleaning then, miss,” Fenrir chuckled.

Sigyn bent down, eye level to her young charge, and shook her head. “Oh no, not me,” she smirked.

Several loud arguments and one shrill whistle later Sigyn had the children tidying up their bedroom, albeit begrudgingly.

“Make you beds first, then pick up your toys,” Sigyn reminded them as he helped the tiny Hela pull her blankets up. “And then we’ll deal with all these feathers.”

Once the room was tidied Sigyn turned her attention to her charges, marching them to the bathroom to wash their faces and hands. She marched them back out, past their bedchambers, and into the foyer-slash-dining area, beyond which lay her own bedroom and private washroom, or so she had been told.

“Alright, take your seats. I’m sure your grandmother will be arriving shortly.”

Sigyn watched as her new charges got settled, smiling as Jörmungandr helped his sister into her chair and pushed it in for her. She poured them all a glass of water and took her place at one end of the table, her bag slung over the back of it, watching as they quietly fidgeted.

“Is grandmother really coming for lunch?” Fenrir asked, his fingers worrying over old teeth marks that marred the table top – he had attacked in his wolf form, Sigyn had to assume.

“The queen told me she would be. I don’t think she would lie about something like that.”

“Grandmother never lies,” Eisa remarked proudly.

“Do you ever lie, Eisa?” Sigyn asked.

“No,” the girl replied defensively.

“Do too!” Jörmungandr countered.

“Do not!” Eisa replied, dipping her fingers in her glass and flicking water droplets at her half-brother.

“Enough,” Sigyn said loudly, cutting through the brewing argument. “If you make a mess, you will be cleaning it up.”

“I’m a prince,” Jörmungandr sneered. “I shouldn’t have to do such lowly tasks.”

“In this room you are but a child, and I am your governess. If you make a mess, you _will_ be cleaning it up. It will teach you to take responsibility for your actions and to think before you act.”

“You’re not a proper governess, you’re just a stable girl,” he shot back.

“And how many ‘proper’ governesses have you gone through?”

“All of them,” Eisa giggled quietly.

“Exactly. The queen herself asked me to be your governess. I suppose she thought that if I could wrangle farm animals, I could get her wild grandchildren under control. So, if you have any issues with a lowly stable girl being your governess, you can take it up with her over lunch.”

As if on cue, the doors opened and the queen, regal as ever, stepped over the threshold as maids with dinner trays filed in behind her.

“Grandmother!” a chorus of voices cheered, rushing to her side, all except Hel who couldn’t see an easy way down from her chair.

“Oh, my word. Who are you strange children! I must have stepped into the wrong nursery,” she teased. “Did you clean all this?” Frigga asked, glancing at Sigyn.

“No, your majesty,” Sigyn replied, offering her a small curtsey despite her lack of a skirt.

“No, we did!” Eisa offered, bouncing on her feet.

“Really?” the Allmother quirked an eyebrow at the newly hired governess.

“It was their mess, your majesty. It was only right that they should be the ones to clean it up.”

“I don’t like her,” Jörmungandr huffed, much to his grandmother’s amusement.

“I’m sorry to hear that, my dear, but for far too long your misbehaviour has been tolerated by lenient and nervous governesses. I would like to see how you do under a firm hand. Perhaps Sigyn can help me find those well-mannered princes and princesses that I know are in there somewhere.”

Jörmungandr blushed as his grandmother ruffled his hair as she walked past him to sit at the opposite end of the table to Sigyn, whilst the children retook their seats. Frigga greeted Hela with a kiss upon her scarred cheek as the maids placed a plate of food in front of each of them before asking the children about their day. Sigyn was happy to sit quietly and let the children converse with their grandmother, listening and learning more about her new charges as the meal progressed.

Eisa, as Sigyn already suspected, loved being the centre of attention. Fenrir loved it too, but it came from a yearning for affection rather than the spotlight. Einmyria was quiet, and from what Queen Frigga had told her, quite studious. Eisa was more naturally gifted, and could become quite the fire mage, if only she sat still long enough to properly absorb her lessons. Jörmungandr was slightly haughty, well aware of his own talents and always eager to learn more. And while Einmyria made no effort to control her sister, Jörmungandr was equal parts warden and defender of his siblings.

“Fenrir! No shapeshifting at the table,” he scolded, causing the embarrassed wolf pup to stop licking his plate clean.

Fenrir was a happy child, and very eager to please. He was not as talented or as studious as his older siblings, but he had learnt how to shapeshift at a young age and if that was the only trick he ever perfected he would still be quite pleased with himself. And little Hela. She barely spoke, and was so quiet you could almost forget she was in the room. Sigyn had been told that she liked to read but had, as yet, shown little proficiency for magic, though she desperately wanted to learn how to shapeshift like her brothers and always came away from seiðr lessons more solemn than usual.

Sigyn watched as Hela ate her lunch, always aware of how much of her scarred face and arm were showing, and her heart hurt for the poor girl. Queen Frigga had warned Sigyn that Hela was scarred so that she would not be shocked when she met the girl, but had not elaborated. Sigyn was undeniably curious about Hela’s injuries, but she would never dare ask, preferring to focus her energies on making Hela feel comfortable in her own skin.

“And how are you finding your new position so far, Sigyn?”

“I think it will be quite interesting, your majesty,” she replied with a smile, looking over her charges. “Equal parts challenging and rewarding, I’m sure.”

Jörmungandr made a face at her and Sigyn resisted the urge to return it.

“I have every confidence that you will rise to the occasion.”

“Thank you, your majesty.”

“Did Ingrid go over your duties with you?”

“Ingrid, your majesty?”

“The maid that was looking after children when you arrived.”

“Oh… Uh, no, I’m afraid not, your majesty. She left as soon as I arrived. I think she had urgent business to attend to at the opposite end of the palace.”

“Quite,” Queen Frigga sighed, looking to her grandchildren who had all become terribly interested in their empty plates. “Well, Sigyn, your duties are quite simple, in word though not always in deed. You are to look after the children. You must always be with them, unless they are explicitly in my care, or that of their father. Should you escort the children out of the nursery you will always be accompanied by two guards, and I advise you against leaving the palace grounds without my approval and a larger contingent of guards.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“As for the children’s schedule, it is quite simple for the time being. Breakfast, and then free time until 9 bells when the children have their regular lessons with a tutor. Then lunch, followed by seiðr lessons, then free time until dinner. And then bed, no later than eight bells.”

Sigyn stifled a laugh as all the children groaned at their grandmother’s rule.

“Now, children,” Queen Frigga said over their complaints. “I believe it is time for your seiðr lessons, is it not?”

“Yes, grandmother,” they all chimed miserably.

“Now, now, don’t be like that,” Frigga tsked. “My lessons are always interesting, are they not?”

“You’re going to teach us today?” Jörmungandr asked excitedly.

“If you like,” she smiled.

“Yes, please!” they chorused, jumping out of their chairs and racing to the door.

“Sigyn, I will give you the afternoon to get settled,” Frigga advised. “I shall return the children to the nursery at four bells.”

“Yes, your majesty. Thank you, your majesty.”

Sigyn pushed in the chairs as the maids took away the plates and cleaned the table before crossing the room to inspect her bedroom for the first time. It was quite a generous space, but modestly furnished with only a bed, a wardrobe, and a small desk. Her private washroom was equally spacious, with a large bathtub and an overhead shower. Sigyn slumped down on the bed, bouncing up and down as though testing the mattress. She drummed her fingers on her knees for a moment before remembering that she had one last charge to meet and rushed out of the nursery, bag in hand.


End file.
